The Auroran War
The Auroran War was a major conflict between the Old Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Albion or Kingdom of Archon, and the nation of Aurora. Story The war was during the reign of the Fifth Archon, when Albion was perhaps at its height during the era of the Kingdom. By now, the Archons had taken to calling themselves "Heroes" and imposing their Will upon Albion's populace. The Archon was told by his advisors of a land to the south of the country, a sandy, almost inhospitable land filled with strange wildlife, people, and customs. The most intriguing part of this tale, though, was the story of a large religious stronghold in the desert not far from a small coastal town. The temple, known as Sandfall Palace, was heavily guarded by Auroran imperial soldiers and was said to contain a large diamond, dubbed the 'Desert Star' by the guards. The advisors explained that if the Archon could obtain this gem, it would bring wealth of inconceivable amounts to Albion shores. The Archon, believing this Auroran Empire to be nowhere near Albion's match in terms of military might, not only deciding to invade the continent and take the Star by force, but also add the lands his armies conquered to his Kingdom. The Archon amassed his navy and troops and set sail with them in autumn, reaching Aurora's northern coast by spring. The Albionites quickly advanced up the coast and captured the coastal village, with the Archon setting the location as his headquarters. The people, unaccustomed to outsiders, were bewildered by the sight of these men, clad in heavy steel armor and weapons. As the Albionites soon learned, Aurora is not such a place for heavy armor, and it would prove to be their undoing. By now, word had gotten to the Auroran Emperor, Cirro, that a large band of foreigners had taken control of a small coastal town in the northern portion of the continent. Cirro assumed, correctly, that the foreigners were here as a result of the expeditions held by adventures months before the invasion, and that they were in Aurora to take the Desert Star. Meanwhile, the Albionites were busy heading east and west, conquering small villages along the northern coastline. By autumn of the following year, the Archon's men had managed to take over a larger town, Dansini, and established it as a major hub in a supply chain from Albion. This time spent conquering villages was enough to allow Cirro to amass a massive army to defend Sandfall Palace. The Archon, still believing the Aurorans to be outmanned, gathered his entire army and advanced through the Shifting Sands to the temple. The event, however, marked the beginning of his undoing. Along the way, nearly one-fifth of his forces were decimated in hit-and-run battles with tribes of Sand Furies, primitive Aurorans with no organized society whatsoever. In addition, many men suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration, so that by the time the Albionites reached Sandfall Palace, only one-third of the original invasion force remained. Still, the Archon believed in the superior military might and tactics of Albion, and pressed on. At the Battle of Sandfall, the Archon was finally defeated. The Archon, along with the few Will users he had brought with him on the invasion, were completely sapped, due to them using their powers to produce water for the army. In addition, despite the inferior numbers, superb tactics and familiarity by the troops commanded by Tarkus, Cirro's brother-in-law, ensured swift defeat for the Albionites. The entire invasion force was annihilated, and the Archon himself captured and brought to the capital city, Resayad. There, the Archon was allowed one letter to send to Albion, in which he reliquenshed control of the Kingdom to his son, the Sixth Archon, and acknowledged his failure as a leader and as a miltary strategist. The following morning, the Archon was executed, and the Auroran War officially ended.